Waldorf Schools, Unplugged on Purpose
Waldorf schools recognize the importance of technology and know that students will use computers later in their academic careers and their lives. At the same time, Waldorf education does not consider it helpful for children to use computers during the period when the basic building blocks of learning and social skills are being established and the emphasis is on person-to-person oral teaching. Waldorf education teaches critical thinking skills first and sees digital devices as useful tools, to be introduced after a student’s foundational skills are strong.
At the Waldorf School of Philadelphia, our graduates step into computer use easily in middle school and high school, given their strong critical thinking skills. In fact, the most coveted attributes sought by universities and employers can be found in our graduates. The Survey of Waldorf Graduates demonstrates that Waldorf education cultivates the following qualities:
Multiple intelligences and cross-disciplinary learning
Global consciousness and sustainability
Basis for moral navigation
Creative problem-solving
High levels of social intelligence and emotional intelligence
Environmental stewardship
Graduates who think outside the box
In 2009, Matt Richtel wrote an article called A Silicon Valley School that Doesn’t Compute for The New York Times, about the choice that some Silicon Valley executives were making to send their children to Waldorf Schools. Alan Eagle was one such executive interviewed for the article:
“The idea that an app on an iPad can better teach my kids to read or do arithmetic, that’s ridiculous.”
Mr. Eagle knows a bit about technology. He holds a computer science degree from Dartmouth and works in executive communications at Google, where he has written speeches for the chairman, Eric E. Schmidt. He uses an iPad and a smartphone, of course. But he says his daughter, a Fifth Grader, “doesn’t know how to use Google,” and his son is just learning.
Watch this video to see a 2019 take on technology in Waldorf schools, and check out the articles below that touch on related trends and topics.
Educating the Whole Child – China Daily, June 2011
Want to get your kids into College? Let them play – CNN
Effort to Restore Children’s Play Gains Momentum – The New York Times, January 2011